Fly In Formation 152 - Moka Only
For episode 152 I talked with Vancouver legend Moka Only about Many Pies, the mellow 2026 album he produced himself and painted the cover for, Sayzee’s question about how many albums he actually has (the Wikipedia count says triple digits and he says it is more), his first vinyl on Hand'Solo and the hand-to-hand tape days before it, making a Martian Xmas album every winter since 2004, Golden Section with Birdapres over K-Rec production almost 30 years after they started it, Split Sphere reuniting with Prevail, becoming one of the Swollen Members but always walking his own solo path, why America has always been his bread and butter but the visa fees are keeping him home right now, and a bunch of other really important stuff.
This one was a trip, I can’t lie. I was singing this man’s chorus’s when I was like 14 years old, which were really some of my foundational Hip Hop introduction years. It’s an honour that I have the opportunity to help document the culture now, even in retrospect. To have Moka Only tell me that platforms like this are part of what make this a golden age for Hip Hop heads is ultra reassuring and exactly the type of fuel I need to keep this show going. The numbers don’t matter, I love what I’m doing and it’s starting to take the shape I envisioned, with more and more artists becoming aware of and collaborating with one another, and audiences slowly starting to turn their heads and notice more of the Canadian scene. The more conversation the better. The more creators pointed at the scene, the better. If I can play any part in that, that feels like a win. Having Moka Only tell me he wants to come back and bring Prevail on feels like a win. These guys are legends, and not just for what they did 20 years ago, they’ve continued to hold this scene down year after year and have proven to be the type of prolific you only get from artists who truly love making art.
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Listen to the audio only version of this episode exclusively at https://www.mixcloud.com/doobyis - where you will also find ongoing weekly mixes of 100% Canadian new release Hip Hop on my show "After the Smoke Is Clear" (#ATSIC) - each episode is followed by an interview with an artist, tap in and support the scene.
These interviews happen Tuesdays on Twitch - come by and catch them live, or watch them a couple days later on Youtube.
CHECK THE FULL FLY IN FORMATION PLAYLIST ON YOUTUBE FOR PAST GUESTS
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FiF interviews stream every Tuesday, live on Twitch
Also, check out the After the Smoke is Clear archives for hour-long mixes covering the best new Hip Hop across Canada. New episodes drop Mondays and/or Thursdays. It’s the only place you can catch the Fly in Formation interviews in audio form, so I suggest getting the free Mixcloud app.
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